Wreckfest 2 Crashes into Early Access - First Impressions
Bugbear are back in their favourite paddock bashers to bring a smile to car folks’ faces. That’s right Wreckfest 2 has landed in early access on Steam and the mayhem is coming with it. For those that missed the first game, Wreckfest featured racing and destruction derby events for cars that, shall we say, wouldn’t pass their pink slips anymore. That spirit is well and truly alive in Wreckfest 2, even as it begins its early access journey.
I have been diving into the early access build and I will say this, it is very light on features right now. There isn’t an awful lot to do at the moment, so I will save a more comprehensive early access preview for when it has been out for a while and a few content updates roll in. But I will say what I did play is promising. The game looks and runs great with a clear upgrade in visuals over the last game. The destruction model on the cars is a thing of beauty and the tracks themselves seem to be well designed. Even in this early stage, Wreckfest 2 is a massive visual upgrade from the first game.
My biggest concern at this point however is the AI balance. This is a tough game. One mistake, even early in a race means you may as well restart if you want to find yourself on the podium. The AI is aggressive and will think nothing of shoving you into a boulder or shipping container on the side of the road if they get a chance, even on easy difficulty, so I can see this causing frustration for a lot of players. Mistakes on the track are also punished heavily, even something as simple as braking a shade too late can mean going from first to last in a heartbeat. I think the balance needs to be adjusted here because it certainly feels tougher than the first game. Perhaps a rewind feature ala Forza would be a wise move, but something needs to be done otherwise this game could only be for the hardest of hardcore racers.
As I said before, the content is light on at the moment, but the game is currently selling at a lower price (and even lower still until April 3) than retail to recognise that. The price will obviously rise as it gets closer to launch so if you are sure that this is your thing, it might be wise to dive in now. Currently, the game features 3 maps with a few tracks on each, 4 cars, a stunt area and single race modes (both singleplayer vs bots and multiplayer online.) There is no career mode as yet and none of the crazy race types from the first game (lawnmowers anyone?)
All that said, I have no doubt that the final game will be a banger. Bugbear knows what they are doing and I have been a fan since the Flatout days. If you are interested in Wreckfest 2, you can check out the launch trailer and the full current feature list below. Stay tuned to Player 2 for more comprehensive impressions as the game moves through its early access period.
Initial Content EA Launch March 21, 2025:
- Game modes
- Single-player racing & derby with up to 24 players (bots)
- Multiplayer racing & derby with up to 24 players + bot support
- 3 maps with multiple tracks
- Scrapyard map:
- Circuit course with intersections
- Crazy course with oncoming traffic
- Speedway map
- Figure 8 circuit
- Speedway oval circuit
- Derby arena
- Sandpit map (new remake of WF1 track)
- Circuit long route + reverse variant
- Scrapyard map:
- 1 Singleplayer Map Stunt arena
- Sandbox map with ramps, loopings, etc. (similar to the “Sneak Peak map” of WF1)
- 4 Cars
- 2× ’60s/’70s American muscle cars (as seen in trailers)
- 1× ’80s EU banger car (compact)
- 1× ’90s US banger car (intermediate)
- Features
- Basic paint customisation for all cars (more customisation options coming later)
- Garage to edit and save car designs
- 1st version of Replay mode, including photo mode
- Leaderboards
